Final Destination
by causeway-bay
Summary: A somewhat different take on The Story of Tony and Angela. Set in the near-present, the two of them meet under extraordinary circumstances, inside and out.


_"He was a smart, attractive man who loved me - and who I loved, by the way. Why wasn't it right ?"_  
_"Remember in college we saw that French film about a man and a woman that were perfect for one another, but they kept missing each other ? And then in the last scene, they meet on a plane, because that's the way it was destined to be..."_

(from the pilot episode of _"Will & Grace"_)

I

Angela was already dreaming. To her, dreaming seemed to border on astral projection, a concept she had developed some interest in lately: If the mind was allowed to travel, why not the body with it ? Anyway, it was helping her with her fear of flying. As soon as the plane had found its way into the skies, Angela turned off her internal lights and went to sleep.  
Particularly on intercontinental flights like now this technique came in very handy. Traffic on the road to Leonardo Da Vinci airport in Rome had been heavy, the sun burning, Terminal 5 - only recently opened - still suffering from bugs in the computer system.  
Now the bird was in the air, heading for JFK on the other end of the pond. Exactly six minutes after unbuckling her seatbelt Angela was already far away in a world beyond time and space. The fact that her final meeting had gone very well, that the account was hers, that major European markets would soon learn to appreciate certain products not least because of Bower Advertising Inc's know-how, further eased the tension.  
Two weeks of intense negotiations had cost a lot of nerves but it had turned out be a success. And Italy was a fascinating country indeed. Not since her days with Tony Micelli had she been there, and back then - some twenty years previously - the destination had been a small rural community in Sicily. This time Angela had spent a fortnight in the metropolitain areas of Milan and Rome.  
Talk about differences in mentality.

II

She was dreaming of Tony. How he used to put his loving arms around her.  
If her eyes had been open she could have seen how gently the plane was floating through the sky, like a tender hand oh so slowly stroking her face.  
Angela heard his voice. How he used to call her name so softly.  
If she had been awake she could have heard, consciously, how steady the plane's engines were propelling the vehicle towards its destination.  
Angela felt his touch. How he used to dance wih her, cheek to cheek.  
If she had been awake she could have felt the little vibrations beneath her feet, like unreleased emotions trying to make themselves heard, the unmistakable sign that you were not on solid ground but high up in the air.

"Angela."

Something was invading her world.

"Angela."

She heard his voice. Only this time it came from somewhere outside herself.

"Are you asleep ?"

Yes, she thought, I am. Or am I !  
Angela opened her eyes. At least she thought she did. She turned her head, and there he was: Tony Micelli. She had not seen him in quite a while but she instantly recognized him.  
His voice so tender, his looks so familiar.

"Tony!", she exclaimed.

"Welcome aboard, Ms Bower."

A little grey had found its way into Tony's hair, but he seemed to be in excellent shape, overall.

"Tony!", Angela repeated even more incredulously. "What are you doing here ?"

He looked at her, in mock puzzlement.

"Waiting for the bus.", he said matter-of-factly. Then, after a moment:

"What am I doing here ? What does it look like ? I'm going home, of course. Teachers are entitled to a vacation, and this year I decided to spend mine in Italy. What are you doing here ?"

Angela started explaining about multi-million dollar contracts and accounts. Finally, she said:

"I never would have imagined we'd meet again on an airplane several thousand feet aboveground." She started to smile.

The seat next to her was empty. Tony sat down.

"Angela, I'm not sure this is the right thing to say now but...I've been thinking about you. Us. If you can dig that."

Her smile did not disappear. Tony continued, his voice so soft.

"I mean, there's a lot been going on lately."

"I know. Thanks for you e-mails."

"And yours. I don't know why it didn't work out the way we'd planned, but...but I'm glad we stayed in touch."

"Making sure the bough never entirely breaks. Right ?" Still, Angela's smile refused to disappear.

"So true. You were right all along. All along." He looked down.

Angela touched his face. Tony looked around. As their lips met, the smile eventually disappeared from Angela's face, and tears started to flow. Tony wiped them away, gently, then continued the smile she had abandoned.

"What does this mean, Tony ?", Angela said, crying softly. "Is this our destiny ?"

"I don't know what our destiny is.", he answered and leaned in again. As they kissed again it was time to share the tears. "I don't know, Angela.", he repeated between kisses. "I just don't know."

III

Together at last, Angela thought, again feeling as if caught in a different universe, not bound by the laws of physics, floating on pure happiness. In a way, this feeling was not unlike her previous dream state. She did not hear, see, or feel anything outside it.

Had she been listening, she would have heard the noises the plane's engines had begun to make.  
But she only heard his voice so soft.

Had she opened her eyes, she would have seen the nervous faces around her, all staring out the windows.  
But she only saw his face so beloved.

Had she concentrated on it, she would have felt that those little but steady vibrations beneath her feet had now entirely disappeared, just like her smile shortly before, only not finding someone to continue them.  
But she only felt the touch of Tony's lips so tender.

She never experienced anything else until the plane reached its final destination.


End file.
